We’ve all heard at least one story about what’s going to happen to you if you ride a motorcycle, what’s going to cause you to crash, things you can do to make your bike go faster, etc. Most of these (if not all) are complete nonsense, so we’ve decided to gather the top 5 myths that run around these days and bust them to pieces.
Police speed radars won’t be able to detect you, because bikes are much smaller than cars and trucks.
This one really sounds good. Too bad it’s not true.
Just because your bike is not as big as all the other vehicles on the road doesn’t mean you can actually dodge the radar. Police lasers today are high-tech and far more sensitive and accurate than they used to be. In fact, they are claimed to be so sensitive they can register the speed of a flying insect. Ok, that might be another urban myth, but you get the picture. The point is you won’t evade a ticked if you’re on a speeding bike, no matter how small your bike is. Period.
The coating on new tires should be and can be removed only by riding them for a few miles under inflated.
No. God, no. What you’re going to do is fall down and hurt yourself if you try this. Most motorcycle road tires look as if they have a coating on them, but in fact, that’s what they look like when they come out of the mold in the factory. No coating, just new, shiny tire.
Never reduce the pressure in the tires trying to scrub them in. If you ride on under inflated tires, this will cause them to flex, it will damage the sidewall and it can even cause a blowout throwing you off the bike. Just don’t do it. Accept your new tires for what they are – NEW.
Buy the bike of your dreams as your first bike
Wrong. Especially if your dream bike is a super-expensive, super fast one. Do your homework first. Talk to friends who ride and people who know a lot about motorcycles. Learn how to ride first, then buy something that matches your abilities, something you will be confident on. Your first bike should be something that can be fixed easily and cheaply because in the beginning you’re going to fall off that thing – many times. This will save you tons of cash in the long run, and once your skills are up to speed, then and only then should you go out and buy that dream bike.
Race tires will make me and my bike faster on the road.
Um, no. Race tires are totally different than road tires. They feature different compounds and properties and they’re designed to work their best when they’re really hot to create a grip. You’ll hardly get a set of race tires up to the proper race temperature while you’re out on the highway. Chances are you’re probably going to fall off at the first intersection. Stick to road tires if you aren’t racing. There’s a reason why there are road tires and racing tires. Use them as they should be used.
You should lay down your bike if you’re going to crash.
This is never going to happen. First and foremost, most accidents happen very quickly, and the rider simply has no time to think about doing this. Also, think about it: you’re trying to crash before actually crashing? Before potentially hitting whatever you’re in the risk of hitting? That just sounds super weird.
Never, ever try and lay your bike down. It won’t help. Instead, you should shed as much speed as you can, use both your brakes and stay upright.
